Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, May 22: In an incident that occured at BC Road here on Wednesday May 21, the police were left red-faced after they allegedly 'targetted' a BJP leader by trying to 'frame' him in a drugs case.

BJP leader and former APMC president Ronald D'Souza, who is also the owner of Glevin Traders at BC Road, had as usual parked his car below the flyover on the opposite end of the road from his shop. While he was in his shop, he spotted a police van parked near his car and went to enquire.

The DCIB inspector at the spot reportedly told Ronald that police had received information that there was ganja in his car and they need to search it. Confident that it was just a misunderstanding, Ronald willingly agreed and told the inspector to search the car thoroughly, it is said.

Immediately, the inspector took out a package out of Ronald's car and reportedly accused him of peddling drugs. Ronald who was shocked at this, began to protest. He claimed that a few minutes ago, he had seen a policeman in mufti put a package into his car through its window. "You did this, you put the bundle into my car. I saw you with my own eyes and that is why I came to enquire," Ronald told the inspector.

Angered at this allegation, DCIB inspector Basheer Ahmed allegedly slapped Ronald. Even as Ronald protested against the assault, crowd began to gather at the spot. The inspector reportedly refused to listen to Ronald and told him to come to the police station.

The people who gathered there also began protesting at the way Ronald was being treated by the DCIB police. Seeing that the crowd was growing bigger, the inspector, with the package still in his hand, took Ronald to Bantwal police station.

Sources said that the policemen at the station, being known to Ronald, told the inspector that he was a good man who would never have anything to do with drugs. This created some friction among the policemen. Moreover, Ronald was let off without any case being registered.

Ronald, who felt insulted by the whole episode, approached the police commissioner and narrated the incident, alleging that an attempt was made to fix him in a false case. The police commissioner accepted the verbal statement given by Ronald and assured that the incident would be probed. Meanwhile, it was learnt that after Ronald complained to the police commissioner, the DCIB inspector and a policeman approached the BJP office in BC Road and requested that Ronald withdraw the complaint.

Some of the BJP members expressed suspicions that an attempt was being to destroy Ronald's political career as he had worked hard for BJP's win in the constituency. District BJP president Pratap Simha Nayak, BJP leaders Rajesh Naik, Bantwal BJP unit president G Anand, Purush Salian, Ramdas Bantwal, Devadas Shetty, A Govinda Prabhu and others condemned the incident and urged thorough and unbiased investigation into the incident. MP Nalin Kumar Kateel spoke to the police commissioner and asked him to order a probe.

Meanwhile, it is uncertain if the package shown by the DCIB inspector contained ganja at all, as the police themselves reportedly said there was not sufficient evidence to file a case against Ronald D'Souza.

Expressing his shock and disgust, Ronald told media persons that he was extremely hurt by the incident. Without taking any names, he hinted that he knew who was behind the incident, and said, "I feel insulted and pained. A person whose life I had once saved by donating him my blood, has done this to me. I came to know this after police gave me the number from which they received calls. This is a conspiracy to destroy my career and life."